Springfield College celebrated its 16th annual Humanics in Action Day Thursday, Sept. 26, with students, faculty, staff, and alumni performing a day of concentrated community service throughout the city of Springfield.

Humanics in Action Day 2013

Springfield College celebrated its 16th annual Humanics in Action Day Thursday, Sept. 26, with students, faculty, staff, and alumni performing a day of concentrated community service throughout the city of Springfield.

Springfield College President Mary-Beth Cooper welcomed campus volunteers before they embarked on approximately 100 projects throughout Springfield. Also speaking at the opening ceremonies were Springfield College Student Trustee Ariel Zaleski, Director of Springfield School Volunteers Denise Cogman, Old Hill Neighborhood Council President Emmanuel Adero, and Upper Hill Neighborhood Council President Adrienne Osborne.

College work groups performed services for schools, churches, senior citizen facilities, childcare centers, community organizations, city agencies, and neighborhoods. They conducted educational projects for school children, did indoor and outdoor painting projects, performed clean-up/fix-up projects, planted landscaping, and completed a host of other indoor and outdoor services.

Humanics in Action Day highlights the commitment by Springfield College to year-round community-based service programs. Springfield College students contribute more than 120,000 hours of service annually to programs in schools, neighborhood organizations, and city programs.

Springfield College initiated Humanics in Action Day in September 1998. It was the idea of Distinguished Springfield Professor of Humanics Peter Polito and leaders of the New Student Orientation program to revive and expand an event described in the 1918 Springfield College yearbook. In the early years at the College, student work groups volunteered to improve the developing campus. Since 1998, Humanics in Action Day has been a day of service to the local community.